Bring Me the Horizon
by LaImprevedibile
Summary: This is a story about a 19-year-old girl who made a decision to serve the light in the dark.     OC Piri  c  Me and concept of Assassin's Creed  c  Ubisoft
1. A Good Morning

Cielo "Bring me the Horizon"

Chapter I – A Good Morning

There she was, playing and running in a meadow with her family. She was happy and she was smiling. The field was beautiful and green with a bit of colorful flowers scattered almost everywhere. There was a boundary of tall mountain trees surrounding the area but she didn't mind. All she wanted was this moment to never disappear. She wanted to keep this moment forever.

Suddenly the wind grew stronger and stronger each moment and it carried everything that surrounded her – even her own family. She was scared. She didn't know what was going on and before her stood a figure. It seemed like it was protecting her from a huge monster. The figure appeared to be saying something with no sound but the little girl understood. She ran and ran but this time it wasn't in a meadow. It was through a field of fire. She was frightened and tears were flowing across her face as she ran. The monsters were chasing her and she sprinted as they followed her. Dead end. She was near a cliff and at the bottom was an endless pit of darkness. One of the monsters was holding a gun and it shot to her distance but the bullet missed. Yet, she tripped. She was falling…

She woke up from the brilliant sunlight that beamed from her side window. The birds were chirping outside and the weather was crystal clear but despite this wonderful scenario, the girl was immersed in bewilderment with a mixture of doubt. She buried her head in her hands thinking that it was just another dream – or nightmare. Someone was knocking on her door and the voice of a rather young man said, "Sveglia dormiglione! It's morning! Miss Elizaveta made breakfast for us at the inn!" and the girl quickly got off her soft bed and quickly changed. Her name was Maria de la Cruz. She was a charming lass with mildly tanned skin and dark chocolate colored hair that flowed perfectly behind her. She had hazel eyes and her smile was a radiant of sunshine. She was young and fairly eighteen years old. Maria was a simple girl that lived in the small town of Florentia in the country of Ytalia. She was merry and kind and sweet to everyone around her. The burghers always give her a look of infatuation when she goes out to the market. There was even one time when a few men – including those who were of nobility – tried to court her at the same time yet she refused politely. Maria wasn't the kind of girl to refuse such a romantic life. In fact, she used to dream of wearing a wedding dress with the man she wanted to be with. Of course, she didn't know who that man was. Going back, she had to refuse the lovely gifts and proposals because she was afraid plus she did not find any love interest in any of those men.

She rushed to the Heideber Inn located near the marketplace at the east. She bumped into people along the way and apologized. When she reached the place, she opened the door with a bang. Maria absolutely loved Elizaveta's famous home-cooked meals. The locals in the inn did not mind her excitement since it happens almost every day. The others greeted her with a smile and she greeted back to them. "Good morning, Maria. Did you sleep well?" asked the lady at the counter as she served porridge and a plate of bacon and boiled eggs. "Not so much. I dreamt of something odd. It almost felt like I was living in a nightmare." Said Maria as she engulfed her first bite. The lady was Elizaveta Herdevary and she was the inn keeper of Heideber. There was a young girl with blond hair tied with a cute blue ribbon that served breakfast to the other guests. Her name was Lili Zwingli, Elizaveta's right hand helper. As usual, the inn was jam-packed with guests from other places across the country – even the world.

"That must have been an awful experience for you." Was all that Elizaveta said. She could not say anything else or she did not want to say anything else at all. Maria just sipped her porridge in a momentary solitude. "Hey, don't be such a gloomy. It's almost fiesta time! Keep your spirits up! And I can see that your suitors have made you into a fine woman." Said Elizaveta jokingly as she twirled her finger at the middle of Maria. Maria's cheeks were turning light pink. "How immature of you, Lizzy!" and they both laughed at their silliness.


	2. The Sky Rider

Cielo "Bring me the Horizon"

Chapter II – The Sky Rider

"Divisions one and two, are you ready for takeoff?" The sound of engines roared like lions in the wild. The deafening wings of a mechanism pleased the ears of the greasy covered men in the warehouse. The radio on the table gave out a creaky voice of which sounded like a commander's. Two or three of these machines seemed ready to fly off any time soon. The pilots in their respective places signaled that they were ready to go. There were two air traffic controllers who guided the planes as they drove off from the land and into the sky. The sight of this was splendid. It was like seeing two eagles flying together in the deep blue. But apart from that, the whole sky was filled with those planes of different sizes and different colors. It almost seemed like looking at a huge flock of birds surrounding and flying everywhere.

This was the country of Avina. The land was famous for its outstanding machinery on all types of aircrafts and shows seen in both the day and night sky. Aside from that, the country was famous for its brilliant economy and original productions in the field of engineering and mechanism. Some call it as the "Country of Metal" or the "Land of the Wings" for being both a natural producer of green and flying machines. This was the land of the free, the land where the inhabitants who lived here were city-dwellers, intellectuals, mechanics and the free people. Yet despite all that, it had a bitter history as well.

Avina was once involved in the War of the Cosmos which resulted into a drastic mishap that affected everything – both the land and the people - greatly. The War of the Cosmos did not start by a simple misunderstanding, no it definitely did not. The planet in which Avina lied in was meant to be a peaceful world, with no wars, no sin and no destruction but one day a man by the name of Saifer drowned in revenge that he sought to destroy the peace that was left in this beautiful planet until a knight came. Legend has it that this knight had golden wings on his back and killed Saifer with just one blow and restored the planet to its glorious place.

Going back to the warehouse, there was a young blonde man who was smoking a cigar as he focused on a rather brilliant jet plane that had a star with red, white and blue at its right side. This man was young, probably about nineteen to twenty years. As he was letting out puffs of smoke, his brother was tending to his plane. Oh, so he owned that plane after all.

"Plane will be done in fifteen minutes! After that, you can test her out with the others. How 'bout that, bro?" said the man who was speaking from the bottom of the plane. He had a neck-length blonde hair that was now covered in black oil. He had violet eyes and had this strange white bear on top of him. "Great! Can't wait to fly this baby again!" said the smoking young man with excitement. He put his cigar on the table and removed its remaining flames. He reached for his bomber jacket that had a big fifty at the back.

"Alfred! Wait a minute, Alfred!" shouted a black-haired man from a distance. He ran to the blonde. He was perspiring from the sudden exercise he just took. "You cannot leave headquarters just like that. That's not allowed." Said the small man who was actually older than him in age. Alfred gave out a jocky laugh and placed his hand on the small man's shoulder. "It'll be alright, dude! Besides, the military's on their break and so are we. I'm just gonna do some travelling and then I'll be back in no time." Alfred was really eager to get out of the country. He hasn't been flying his beloved plane for almost a month and to him, it was misery without flying. The sky was his resting place.

The plane was turned on and Alfred was on his seat. He felt so comfortable that he unnecessarily had to give out a sweet sigh. His brother, Matthew Williams, gave his bag with supplies for the five-day travel to…anywhere he wanted to be. Matthew told him to take care of himself and to watch out for any violent sky pirates. Giving a thumbs up, he drove forward and flew away and set out to the world.


	3. Secrets of the Night

Cielo "Bring me the Horizon"

Chapter III – Secrets of the Night

It was already afternoon. Maria finished her grocery with Lili at the market. As usual, the townsfolk were lively and merry in places like these. Everyone was so friendly that they would greet everyone – be it, friend or stranger. The energy was always this high from the middle of the morning until the sun sets. Since it was fiesta time, the town was preparing for several festivals and also for the preparation of the Grand Fire Lantern Festival.

Lili bought her last batch of dragon fruits from the fruit lady in one of the stands at the market. It was close to sunset and the other shops were closing and the everyday sellers were preparing to pack off for the day before the clock struck nine in the evening. The small town had a policy wherein city dwellers were not allowed to go out after the designated time or else they will have to pay a big fine as punishment. Ever since this policy was implemented, the townsfolk consider eight as a late hour in the night and they go to bed early during this time. Some stay up late to finish urgent tasks.

It was already nine in the evening. The neighborhood shut their windows and doors, lit off their candles and the whole town was drenched in cold silence. The evening in this place was serene. The billions of stars shined upon the dark sky and the eerie quiet environment crept the cats that hid in the dark alleys and even they had to go back to their own homes. The chilly breeze gave out goosebumps and the roads were almost empty. There were guards roaming each corner of the town and they were the only people who had the authority to stay out through the rest of the night. There were even some who are guarding the rooftops of some houses. Most children call these men as the "owls of the city" because they always keep watch at night and people say that they always sleep in the morning. Even though they are well-trained, their bodies cannot help but be sluggish sometimes during their shift.

It may seem that Florentia is a peaceful, almost-perfect town but just like other places in the world, it also has its strange urban tales. But these tales are not purely made-up. The donne anziane or old women of the city may make up different versions of these tales but one thing is for sure, these stories are real. The town of little Florentia has undergone a course of history as well. Apart from the staggering festivals and local social gatherings which make the place famous, there are stories that tell about the mysterious protectors. They are called "assassino" or the assassins. No one knows anything about these assassins but they were always so badly judged because the people always view them as monsters for killing criminals who do not deserve to be killed at all. Others say that they were guardians sent from the heavens above and the other half say that they are beasts, hungry for greed by getting it off from law-breakers. The assassins have existed not more than two centuries but the murders have been a standard procedure in the town. That's why in the morning, some people are not surprised to wake up finding a dead corpse at their door steps.

During the night shift of the guard, an eagle passes by them without giving any notice. The bird flew swiftly yet silently while it was carrying a small note attached to its leg. The bird landed on a wooden stand and a person, dressed strangely in white with a large hood covering most of the face, got the letter. The white clothing stretched to her entire torso, some triangular excess at the back that extended until the ankles. At the bottom, there were brown trousers accompanied by anciently designed boots. Attached to the white attire were several accessories that wrapped around the chest portion and a symbolic belt that was put around the waist line. There was also a strange golden semi-circle attached to both of the shoulders.

After the stranger read the note, the person disappeared completely with the swiftest movements. None of the guards noticed this person because the camouflage of the suit was flawless enough to be unnoticeable in the dark, no matter how white it was. The white figure jumped from roof to roof until it stopped to a certain spot near the bank. Below the view, there were two men who seemed to be talking. The figure looked intently at the two for a while. "Vi aspettiamo! What are you doing here?" a guard was there. "You're not allowed here, I'm afraid you have to come with m-" he was shot at the back and gave a loud moan. The figure quickly covered his mouth and laid him down on the floor quietly as he died throughout. The stranger went back to the edge of the building to check on the two men but they weren't there. The person cursed in a whisper and ran through the rooftops to chase those men.

They reached the end of the town which was blocked by a huge bricked wall. One of them was frightened and desperate while the latter was angry and grabbed his scared companion by the neck. "Tell me where you placed the money or else you and your family will be burned alive!" said the mad man covered in sweat. The victim was too traumatized that he couldn't speak.

"Let him go. He doesn't have the treasure anymore." Said a mysterious voice from the dark. The angry man looked around him nervously. "Who's there? Show yourself!" then the white figure appeared slowly from the abyss. The man's eyes dilated as his sight caught the attention of an unwanted person. "Assassino…!"

Silence followed. The wall was splashed with a bit of blood. The frightened man ran away as if he saw the eyes of a murderer.


	4. Forza di Protezione

Cielo "Bring me the Horizon"

Chapter IV – Forza di Protezione

The morning sun shone and the streets were once again filled with stands and markets. There were early birds who rose up from bed to do their daily tasks for the day and those who are out to buy their groceries in the markets. The construction builders have also started their work as well. Though, they weren't really working on buildings. They were helping the other townsfolk in the designing of the plaza for the Grand Fire Lantern Festival. The neighborhoods at the southern part of the town started doing their jobs as well by making costumes and masks and other eye-catching outfits. The kids were – at usual – playing at the park along with their nannies and mothers. At the park, there was a playground for them to enjoy in. Usually the children are scattered everywhere but most of them were gathering up at the top of a tall monkey bar to see a strange site. Where they were looking, there was a huge crowd by the town wall up front.

Elizaveta and Lili were part of the crowd and they were squishing right through what seemed to be a sea of people. Many were annoyed by them passing through because they were sometimes stepped on or being pushed without notice. The ladies apologized as they passed and soon they were able to reach the front. "Lili, can you see what's going-" Elizaveta was cut off upon seeing a gruesome sight of a man whose blood spread on the ground like a puddle. The man's back was facing the puzzled and shocked audience yet in some of the eyes of the commoners; it seemed as if this happened every day. Elizaveta and Lili weren't silent from shock but rather from confusion and worry. The guards on morning shift arrived at the scene and the head of the group ordered his troops to clear off the crowd. Elizaveta and Lili were told by one of the guards to go back to their home and they did so without any objections. As they were walking away, Elizaveta was eyeing the roof of a house and saw a white figure swiftly disappear.

"Do you think it was the assassino who murdered this poor man?" asked one of the guards. Little did they know that there were some people who were still looking at them – some with eyes of curiosity and some with eyes of suspicion. The leader bent on one knee to get a clearer observation of the victim's corpse. Although the scent caused a disturbing sensation in his nose, he wasn't bothered by it. He was, after all, doing his duties as the current Chief of Forza di Protezione – the only group in Florentia that was given the responsibility to be the town's greatest protector of the land. During its dark history, Ytalia was involved in the War of the Cosmos. Nearly all the towns and cities of the country were greatly affected by the violent war. The first king of Ytalia, Cavuor I, gave a strict order to the knights regarding the protection of Florentia. He loved the city because that was where he grew up in and lived his simple life until he was chosen to become the heir to the throne of the death of their emperor. Having followed the words of the king, they set forth to the town of Florentia and remained there for nearly three decades due to the Great War. They protected the city with all their might and because of their heroic structure, they were idolized and praised and were given the recognition of being the Protectors of Florentia. The group of knights decided to stay in Florentia and the following generations continued on the legacy they left.

One of the guards who were investigating the area returned at the scene of the crime and he tagged along with him a stranger – who seemed to be lacking a lot of sleep because of the bloodshot eyes and the pale skin or in worst cases, traumatized by an uncomfortable sight. "Comandante, I found a man in one of the inns of the city with the help of some locals. They claim that this man was involved with the deceased." He said. The man, who seemed paralyzed and frightened by the many pairs of eyes staring at him from a distance and his fears were heightened by the corpse that was standing right before him. The corpse of a vicious criminal. The corpse of a man who almost tried to kill him for a reason that seemed unjust to his innocent situation. Could it be that the criminal wanted something from him? His mind was puzzled. The victim was shaken as the Comandante started questioning him.

"Senor, do you know what happened last night here?"

"I… I… was a-a-afraid. T-this man was c-chasing me…" he murmured. His voice was not louder than a whisper. Shock was slowly overpowering him.

"It's alright, senor. We're here to help you. Now tell us why he was chasing you," said the Comandante calmly. As a man of discipline, he tries to remain calm and composed even in the most drastic situations.

"H-he said… he w-w-wanted something," the victim was turning pale by the horrible experience that haunted him.

"What was it?" The victim's voice was stuck. He couldn't speak anymore and a cold chill ran down his back as if he felt that deadly eyes were watching him from above. He looked at the roofs of the houses anxiously to see if there really was someone up there spying on him. No one. Just the clouds drifting their way towards another direction. The man has seized movement. He was as still as a statue although he was breathing. The guard beside the Comandante tried to get the frozen man into his sense but there was no response. The Comandante ordered his subordinate to escort him to the nearest infirmary and the guard did as he was told. The two walk away slowly and the other troops cleaned the area as to not gather another crowd. Plus the smell of a rotting corpse was unbearable. One guard who stayed behind asked, "What are we going to do with him, sir?" The Comandante's bright blue eyes eyed the top of the buildings with sobriety. Like a hawk looking for its sneaky prey. "We'll let him rest at the infirmary for a while. After his recovery, we can ask him again. We have to prepare for the festival to avoid any commotions and possibly some abnormal cases of murder and thievery."


	5. Preparations

Cielo "Bring Me the Horizon"

Chapter V – Preparations

The Heideber Inn was still filled again with a lot of people. It was lunch time and the customers were eager to feast on Elizaveta's Saturday Meal Special. It was a simple platter that contained her famous homemade sausages, beef stew, mouthwatering mash potatoes paired with green peas and some pieces of native chicken. This was what the common people usually buy because they couldn't really afford to eat in the restaurants of the city. Some say that the food in those restaurants is expensive because they're straight from the King's palace. But in reality, these places were famous in different countries and their branches spread throughout the continent tremendously. Elizaveta and Lili were busy in the kitchen while Roderich was acting as the waiter for the meantime. Maria came in with her hair tied back, sweat all over face, her pants and dress shirt with half-rolled sleeves drenched with sweat, and more sweat. The whole inn also reeked of the smell of hard work because the men in here had been busy working on building the main stage in the plaza, the minor decorations, the colorful banners that hang from thin ropes, and the grand lantern for the festival.

"Man, I am so beat! Lizzy, give me some of your cold beer right on the spot!" Maria said childishly, pretending to be like a man who just came from work in the construction site. Elizaveta pulled out a tall glass and fills it with some freshly made iced tea. She placed it in front of Maria and inserted a slice of lemon on the side of the glass. "Don't talk that way missy, you're talking to an adult here. Even though you're nineteen, I'm not permitting you to drink beer," said Elizaveta as she kept poking Maria's forehead. "But you said I could drink when there's an occasion!" Maria acted like a child in front of her. She always had. After all, Elizaveta was the one who took care of her ever since she was a child. "Preparing for the festival is not an occasion. You're supposed to be acting like a proper woman, Maria. You're a grown lady." Maria sighed and sipped her iced tea. For her, this was a daily reminder from Elizaveta. How can she act like a proper lady when she was too full of happy energy? She always went out, did chores that involved the outside, helped the others in the neighborhood, and sometimes played outside the fields with a few kids. Maria hated staying inside. She didn't feel that it was right for her. But she knew her own precautions. She knew the dangers of the environment if she wasn't careful. She was old enough to know that. Suddenly, Maria overheard two men talking behind her.

"Hey, do you know that man at the town wall yesterday?"

"The one who got killed?"

"Yeah. He was a hired thief. His goal was to retrieve important information from the old man. The poor man was so shocked that he might have forgotten what that was."

"D'you think he was working for the group that's planning to dissolve the kingdom of Ytalia?"

"The Black Conquerors? My God, I hope not. But whatever information that was, it might have been of value."

The girl sipped her iced tea silently and stared at the mirror in front her; eyeing the two men conversing. Elizaveta saw her eyes that were filled with danger as she was wiping newly washed plates and glass. "So what have you accomplished so far in the preparations?" she asked. Maria looked at Elizaveta normally and it relieved her a little. "We were able to finish the stage and setting up the poles and banners. All that's left is the big lantern and some decorations," Maria responded happily as if everything she had done today was a great success. She finished her drink and dashed out of the inn. "M-Maria! Aren't you going to stay for lunch?" exclaimed Elizaveta. Maria went back and said, "I'll eat with the guys at the stage! Brought myself some food for work!" and she rushed off again.

"That's too bad. I was going to tell her the good news," Elizaveta said as Roderich approached her from behind to give her a peck on the head. "Don't worry, she'll know soon enough," and the couple went back to their jobs.

The stage almost filled one fourth of the plaza where in front of it was a huge water fountain with a marbled statue of a winged angel with a halo around its head. It was holding an apple too and it shone beautifully under the gleaming rays of the sun. The fountain was surrounded by a circle of bushes with red, yellow and orange stargazers attached to them. The whole plaza was decorated with warm colors which relates to theme of the festival of fire. The purpose of the stage was to hold the grand lantern that was supposed to be the main icon of the entire event. The lantern actually didn't have a specific design that was used when the tradition of the festival was passed on. It was different each year and the designs improve as the years pass. For this event, the lantern will be in cone-shaped but there is a circle at the small end. It will be connected to a three dimensional stand and at its sides are large candle sticks placed on antique candle stands. The cone is filled with small torches connecting to each other and on top there are pieces of wood that hold a long stick of what seemed like small bombs. From afar, it looked like a gigantic torch. But the people didn't care about the appearance of the lantern. They just wanted to see the outcome when it will be lit.

The crew was on their break and the women and children were continuing their jobs in making decorations for the area and the costumes for the festival. They had two days left to prepare. Maria was eating her sandwiches and boxed lunch alone on the stage while two teenage boys were lifting wood behind her.

"Hey, you mind sparing some of 'em sandwiches, _signorina_?" asked one of the boys. Maria took one sandwich and gave it to him. "Luigi, I'm not that old. You can call me by my real name," said Maria with a pout. Luigi laughed. This boy had a crush on her ever since she helped him from the wild boars that were living in the woods. "Can't help it. You're older than me so I have to pay 'em respects to ya. Well, we better be off," Maria waved good-bye and the two boys walked off the stage and went to another place to gather some more materials.

Suddenly the wind picked up its pace and it grew stronger and stronger as if something was landing from the sky. Maria was bothered and held on to her food so that they won't fly. Then she saw that everyone was looking at the sky and she followed them. That's when she saw a plane landing towards the fields.


	6. A Newcomer

Cielo "Bring Me the Horizon"

Chapter VI – A Newcomer

The people eyed on the plane as if it was some kind of foreign object flying across the sky. But they knew what kind of machine that was. A metallic winged aircraft. It was a military plane. But this was a different kind of plane. It was decorated with a white star in a blue circle which is overlapping the red circle at the bottom on the left of the plane. On the right, there was an artistic graffiti of the word "hero" on it. The plane looked like an item for display rather than a fighting plane for war, Maria thought. A crowd was running towards where the plane was going to land and it was going to the fields north of the town. Some decided to stay because they either didn't care or they were too tired to go after it.

"What's going on there, _schwester_?" It was Lili! Maria was caught by surprise. Maybe she was on break from the rush hour in the inn and happened to stumble here in the plaza.

"Well…" Maria looked at the direction where the fields were. "…I think the town got itself another guest from the North."

Up at the grassy fields, the plane landed successfully and left a huge circular gap on the ground. The people were a mile apart from the vehicle for their own safety. The half-spherical window pane opened suddenly and everyone was being extra careful. For a few minutes, there was nothing happening and suddenly a man pointed that a head popped out from the aircraft and then the whole body shifted out. There was a man with blonde hair with a weird strand sticking out in the air – as if it's the only thing that can defy the laws of gravity. He was wearing a military uniform but without the formality and the fancy shimmering badges that most people expect soldiers to wear. He was carrying a sack behind him and was wearing these black circular glasses that made him look outrageously cool and a bomber jacket with a big white fifty engraved at the back. He was walking naturally towards the crowd. They were still being secure of themselves because they wouldn't know whether he was some sort of terrorist or a really lame spy. He stopped for a moment and approached them. He adjusted the black glasses to the top of his head and raised his right hand to his eyebrow in a forty-five degree angle. He stood sloppily with his left hand in his pocket.

"'Sup, dudes!" said the blonde man with a shining smile. Some of the girls were attracted and the most of the others just found him awkward. The man felt odd as well being stared at by fifty people all at the same time. "My name is Alfred F. Jones! I'm from Avina, working as a military pilot in the aviation force of the World Army," He introduced himself formally this time with a straight body and a decent salute but he still had that weird shining smile. There was a fat man pushing himself through the crowd in order to reach the front. He was wearing casual clothing, had a fancy brown mustache and a huge bald spot on his head. It was the Mayor.

"Ciao, ciao! Accoglienza! I am Mayor Abene. I run this small but lively little town of Florentia. You came right in time, soldato. We are just preparing for the Grand Fire Lantern Festival. Come, come, I will show you around!" said the Mayor excitingly and led him back to the town. The other people had to go back to finish the preparations while the others followed the foreigner and the mayor. Little Lili, who was hiding in the crowd all this time, headed back to the plaza to look for Maria. She was excited to tell about the newcomer.

"Avina? You mean the flying country?" asked Maria as she was carrying a couple of tool boxes at the supply closet of the inn.

"No, silly! Avina is called the 'Land of the Wings' because it's known for its mass production of planes. It doesn't literally fly," said Lili while she was gathering a mop and a bucket.

"Oh, yeah, I remember. My bad," said Maria with a chuckle. "So, is he mean-looking? Vicious? Just like those soldiers in those plays at the theater?"

"Not really. He looked really tall but he was weird. He had a smile like this," said Lili as she was mimicking the big smile of the pilot earlier. Probably not like one of those soldiers in the plays, thought Maria. Elizaveta called out for Lili to clean the floors and Maria headed straight home. As she had exited the inn, the blonde pilot entered without noticing her. He went to the servery and asked for a cold mug of beer. While he was waiting for the beer, he looked around the inn for a bit. Beside the servery, there was a staircase leading to a second floor. Maybe that's where the rooms are, he thought. When the beer arrived, Elizaveta decided to have a little chat with the fellow.

"You're not from around here, are you?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. I'm just a hero taking a break from all the crime-fighting in the world."

"A hero, you say? That sounds like a lot of hard work," Elizaveta said as she was wiping other mugs from the sink.

"Well, yeah, I guess it is. But not as hard as trying to keep a lot of customers happy every day for twenty-four hours," said the blonde cheerfully. Elizaveta chuckled from the young man's compliment.

"My name is Elizaveta. I'm the Innkeeper. I suppose you're going to stay here for tonight? Mister…"

"The name's Alfred F. Jones. My friends call me Alfred. Most of the time, people call me The Hero!" said Alfred as he gestured his arm like a man showing off his muscles though his was covered with a bomber jacket. Elizaveta found his humor both amusing and mildly eccentric. She had no choice but to give a half-hearted laugh. "And yes, I'd like a room here please. The folks told me that this is the best place to spend the night in!" Elizaveta blushed from his comment and felt enthusiastic.

"Is that so? Well then, I won't prove them wrong. Take this key. Your place is on the second floor: Room 5C," said Elizaveta as she handed him the keys to the room he was going to stay for the rest of the two weeks. Alfred gladly accepted them and packed up to carry his bags to his room. Before he walked away from his seat, Elizaveta asked him if he was going to help with the preparations for the festival. Alfred was informed about the festival by the mayor and said that he'd be happy to help them out first thing in the morning. Then he went to his room and made himself comfortable until he slept for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>I haven't been updating. Hihi :D I procrastinate on this bit a lot but the good parts are coming. Hopefully. I guess so far you could see that the first pair here is Hungary x Austria. (Sorry PruHun fans. I like PruHun more than them though.)<strong>

**Anyways, chapter 7-8 are gonna be a bit more interesting. I sometimes laugh at my own works even though they're not really that humorous. lol.**


	7. The Last Day of Preparations

"Cielo" Bring Me the Horizon

Chapter VII – The Last Day of Preparations

It was another perfect morning for the town of Florentia. The people were up and about on their usual schedules for the day and fortunately for them, and for the guards, there were no abnormal disturbances that were happening so far. They all feared the same thing: another murder. But that wasn't the main topic to be tangling about. The people were excited and worked up on the final preparations for tomorrow evening's most celebrated event of all time. The stage was done and the decorations were hanging and swinging as the east wind travelled smoothly. All they needed to do was set-up the south side of the plaza for the fiesta food and also a mini stage where the dancers were going to perform on. The clothing stores were all filled with people who were buying masks and colorful costumes for the festival. The kids were dazzled by the glitter and vivid colors of the decorations. Some of the women and men were hurrying in worry because there were decorations and necessary items for holding the grand lantern carefully that were not yet completed. Maria was working on the stage for a bit of retouching on its design. She volunteered to paint it so that it wouldn't destroy the lively look of the big lantern.

This time, Maria's wavy brown hair was tied up in a bun and hid the bun under a boy's cap. She was wearing a big gray dress shirt with trousers and straps. Maria looked like a boy. She forgot to do her laundry again so she had to borrow one of her friend's clothes. Well, most of Maria's friends were boys and men because her trying to fit in with the girls of the town didn't do quite well before. There was one time when she was invited to a tea party with one of the rich girls and she had to suffer half of the day wearing a tight corset that almost choked her whole being out. She also learned about how a woman was to be prim and proper (as taught by Elizaveta) but she couldn't manage. She wore dresses and long skirts most of the time when she was not working but being free from all the fancy girly stuff, it defined her to who she was.

"Hey, look! It's the foreign _signore_ from Avina."

Alfred was up early because he volunteered to work on the preparations of the festival. Since he wanted to take a vacation, he didn't want it to be wasted by sitting around in bed all day while eating food and staring at the people as they worked themselves for something spectacular. Besides, he was a hero. It was his duty to help others. Most of the townsfolk couldn't really see that. Alfred went to one of the workers and asked what he could do. The worker said that he could help with the nailing beside the stage. He was given a small pouch of nails and a hammer and went to his post. As he was headed there, he was distracted by the faces of the people. Wow, I can't believe they're so serious about this festival. I wonder what's so special about it, he thought. Alfred was distracted by his thoughts that he accidentally bumped into a stranger. A box of paint fell on the floor and the contents of the bottles splashed on the bricked ground.

"Ah, condenado! Watch where you're going!" said the stranger as he quickly picked up the bottles as to save the paint remaining inside and placed them back in the box.

"Sorry, dude! Didn't see you there. Here let me help you," offered Alfred but the stranger pushed his hand away angrily. "What's your problem, man? I was just trying to help."

What Alfred didn't know was that the stranger was Maria who was apparently mistaken as a man despite her melodic woman voice. Maria was extremely annoyed with what happened. The box of paint was one of her treasures and it just fell to the ground because of one man's carelessness although Maria herself didn't look carefully as well. She silently put back the bottles in the box and stood up.

"I don't need your help. I don't trust people like you," she said coldly as she noticed the Coat of Arms of the World Army. She walked away and purposely ignored the eyes that followed her. None of them knew it was Maria. Alfred followed her back to the stage since his station was there. Maria picked up her brush and painted away while Alfred was just beside the stage with a bunch of tools and an unfinished wooden table.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you like that. I was just a bit distracted. Plus, it's partly your fault as well because you didn't see that I was there," said Alfred defending himself.

"Gee and you call yourself a soldier," Maria replied back with another cold stab without making eye contact. Alfred was pissed off with the guy, oh, Maria but he noticed her hazel-colored eyes and he was suddenly lost in it. Maria caught his stare and her eyes were cold. Alfred felt the chill on his back and ignored her.

Who is this guy?

* * *

><p><strong>A bit shorter from the others but, eh, I can sense the love. Can you too? <strong>


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